Rescuers took advantage of improved weather on Nepal's Mount Annapurna to press ahead with a search for four South Korean climbers and three Nepali guides and have a possible location for them, officials said Wednesday.
Nine soldiers and seven civilian rescuers were digging through ice and snow on the Annapurna trekking trail and had made progress in determining their possible whereabouts, said army spokesman Bigyan Dev Pandey.
Snow and bad weather on Tuesday stalled the rescue operation.
In this Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 photo, trekkers are being rescued in a helicopter a day after an avalanche hit Mount Annapurna trail in Nepal. Special army and government rescue personnel were searching again on Monday for four South Korean trekkers and their three Nepali guides lost since an avalanche swept a popular trekking route in Nepal's mountains. (AP PhotoPhurba Ongel Sherpa)
Khum Bahadur Subedi of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal, another agency involved in the operation, said they are hoping to have a better idea of the location by Wednesday afternoon.
The trekkers and their guides are still listed as missing but mountaineering experts have said there is little chance they could have survived Friday's massive avalanche.
The avalanche hit part of the trekking route after heavy snowfall earlier in the week. All other trekkers who were in the area have been flown by helicopters to safe areas.
In this Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 photo, a trekker wades through piles of snow before being rescued on the day after an avalanche hit Mount Annapurna trail in Nepal. Special army and government rescue personnel were searching again on Monday for four South Korean trekkers and their three Nepali guides lost since an avalanche swept a popular trekking route in Nepal's mountains. (AP PhotoPhurba Ongel Sherpa)
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the missing nationals were two women in their 30s and 50s and two men in their 50s, all teachers who were doing volunteer work in Nepal.
In this Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 photo, trekkers wait to be airlifted a day after an avalanche hit Mount Annapurna trail in Nepal. Special army and government rescue personnel were searching again on Monday for four South Korean trekkers and their three Nepali guides lost since an avalanche swept a popular trekking route in Nepal's mountains. (AP PhotoPhurba Ongel Sherpa)